The field of the present invention is air intake systems for internal combustion engines and air passage systems therefor.
Internal combustion engines employed on vehicles and particularly on two wheel vehicles such as motorcycles and the like are generally designed without sufficient body panels or surrounds for covering the engine and attendant mechanisms. In the case of air cooled engines, it is even advantageous to have the engine substantially exposed for heat dissipation purposes. Consequently, components of such vehicles generally must be designed with such exposure in mind, for purposes of durability and aesthetic appearance.
Of particular importance to the foregoing considerations are flexible or elastic products which are typically molded without final finishing and which, in place, are not considered particularly attractive, are exposed to the sun and other elements and may be subjected to substantial abrasion or other wear. As a result, it is desirable to minimize the exposure of such products on such vehicles.
One specific area of concern has been the inlet passageway or air funnel extending between the air inlet, normally including an air filter, and one or more carburetors. An elastic funnel is desirable because air cleaners are typically rigidly mounted to the frames of small, two-wheeled vehicles while the engines are more resiliently mounted thereto. Consequently, the operation of such engines results in movement and vibration of the engines relative to the air inlet systems. As a result, some elasticity must exist between the inlet system and the carburetor in an air funnel assembly. Such funnels also lack an aesthetic appearance and advantageously could be hidden for both aesthetic and durability considerations.